Gaon Cable Targets U.S. Nuclear Power Cable Market

An aerial view of Gaon Cable’s U.S. production subsidiary, LSCUS. (Gaon Cable) The U.S. government’s plan to quadruple nuclear power generation capacity amid rising electricity demand from AI data centers is creating new opportunities for cable manufacturers. Gaon Cable is moving to establish a local production base for nuclear power plant cables as the North American power infrastructure market evolves. Gaon Cable announced on Oct. 12 that its U.S. subsidiary, LSCUS, plans to install nuclear power cable production facilities at its plant in Tarboro, North Carolina. The investment is aimed at securing a foothold in the local equipment supply chain in response to the U.S. government’s nuclear expansion policy. The administration plans to increase nuclear power generation capacity from 100 gigawatts to 400 gigawatts by 2050 and build 10 large-scale nuclear reactors by 2030. Rising electricity demand is a key driver of the U.S. push to accelerate nuclear power development. As AI computing drives up power consumption, nuclear energy is regaining prominence as a source of reliable, round-the-clock electricity. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projected that annual U.S. electricity consumption would increase from 4.195 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2025 to 4.356 trillion kWh in 2027. As nuclear plant construction accelerates, demand is also expected to rise for power, control and instrumentation cables used inside the facilities. Depending on the design, a single nuclear power plant can require more than 50,000 cable circuits. Because specifications and performance requirements vary by application, manufacturers need the ability to produce a wide range of cable types in relatively small batches. Gaon Cable plans to draw on its specialty cable manufacturing expertise to obtain the certifications required for the U.S. market and enter the local supply chain. The company is targeting demand from new large-scale nuclear plants and small modular reactors (SMRs), as well as the replacement of aging cables at existing plants undergoing life extensions. With new nuclear construction having stagnated in the U.S. for years, Gaon Cable sees an opportunity to expand its presence in a domestic equipment supply chain that has yet to fully develop. It plans to use LSCUS as a local production base to strengthen cooperation with South Korean nuclear industry companies and pursue additional supply opportunities. The move will expand Gaon Cable’s North American business beyond transmission infrastructure centered on overhead lines into nuclear power plant equipment. Its Tarboro facility already operates a medium-voltage cable production line for AI data centers. The company also plans to invest $50 million by April 2027 to double its existing production capacity. “As the U.S. nuclear market expands and South Korean companies become more actively involved in local projects, new opportunities will emerge for equipment suppliers,” a Gaon Cable representative said. “We will actively pursue the U.S. market by leveraging our experience in manufacturing a wide range of cables and our local production base.” Gaon Cable reported consolidated revenue of 869.4 billion won, or approximately $651.72 million, and operating profit of 36.1 billion won in the second quarter of 2026, up 35.1% and 55.5%, respectively, from a year earlier.